KATHMANDU, MAY 3
The third edition of Nepal-Switzerland bilateral consultations was held in Kathmandu yesterday.
Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal gave the opening remarks at the meeting, which was cochaired by Nirmal Raj Kafle, joint secretary, Europe-Americas Division of the ministry, and Andreas Raphael Nageli, assistant state secretary for Asia-Pacific in the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Nepali delegation included officials from stakeholder ministries, while the Swiss delegation included the ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal and officials from FDFA, the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development and the Swiss Embassy in Kathmandu.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on matters of common interest, including bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, regional cooperation, cooperation within the multilateral frameworks and global issues such as climate change, migration, and human rights.
The discussions also covered Nepal's graduation from least developedcountry status in 2026, COVID-19 related support as well as meeting sustainable development goals. The two sides reviewed all aspects of bilateral relations and discussed the possibilities of enhancing engagement in the areas of trade, investment and tourism.
The Nepali side thanked the Swiss government for the longstanding cooperation to Nepal as a priority country and stated that such cooperation would be vital in moving the country forward along the path of economic recovery, green growth, and sustainable graduation from the LDC status.
The Swiss side expressed readiness to work with Nepal in further strengthening bilateral relations for the benefit of both countries.
The Swiss side also stated that its development cooperation would continue in Nepal through the Swiss Cooperat i o n Strategy 2023-26, said the MoFA.
The mechanism of Bilateral Consultations was established in 2015 between the two foreign ministries.
The previous meeting of the mechanism was held in June 2018.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 04, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
